


Key

by firefly124



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-01-08
Updated: 2011-01-08
Packaged: 2017-10-14 14:01:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/149938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/firefly124/pseuds/firefly124
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack’s hurting and not telling the whole story as to why.  For now, Rose just wants him better, and the Doctor agrees.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Key

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Canaan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Canaan/gifts).
  * Inspired by [The Lovers](https://archiveofourown.org/works/142779) by [Canaan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Canaan/pseuds/Canaan). 
  * Inspired by [The Devil](https://archiveofourown.org/works/144928) by [Canaan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Canaan/pseuds/Canaan). 



> Written for [Canaan](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Canaan/pseuds/Canaan)’s [fandom stocking](http://community.livejournal.com/fandom_stocking/105985.html). Based on her [Major Arcana](http://archiveofourown.org/series/5772) AU totally without permission, as that would’ve spoiled the surprise, and I'm relieved after the fact that she didn't mind. Hopefully it reads all right as a stand-alone, but it’s intended to fall between [The Lovers](http://archiveofourown.org/works/142779) and [The Devil](http://archiveofourown.org/works/144928).

“Is he going to be all right?” Rose asked nervously as she watched the Doctor tending to Jack’s wounds.

“He’ll be fine. Right as rain. Fantastic,” the Doctor replied. “TARDIS is helping keep him asleep so he doesn’t have to feel anything till we’ve got him all fixed up.

“That’s … good,” Rose said as she watched the Doctor wrench Jack’s arm back into the shape it ought to be before running the bone sealer over it. “I still don’t understand what happened.”

“Me neither.” The Doctor rested the mended arm down and turned his attention to the badly mangled knee. “Don’t know who that was, but it was definitely someone knew our Jack. Was never going to kill him, either. Just wanted something from him.”

“What makes you say that?” Considering how close to death he’d seemed when they’d pulled him out of that rickety ship, Rose thought it was pretty obvious his captor hadn’t cared whether he lived or died. Of course, Jack would’ve come back, but the bastard didn’t know that.

“Don’t just look at his injuries, Rose,” the Doctor said. “Look at where he didn’t get hurt.”

Just then, Jack winced, not quite as oblivious to the pain as the Doctor seemed to think, and that’s when Rose noticed.

“His face. Everywhere else but his face.” Rose scowled. “That other bloke was a Time Agent, wasn’t he?”

“Had a Vortex Manipulator,” the Doctor agreed. “Bit crazier than most other Time Agents I’ve met though.”

“Crazier’n all of them put together,” Jack muttered.

“Hey!” Rose stepped closer and ran her hand lightly over his hair. “You’re supposed to be asleep.”

“What, and miss all this attention?” Jack winced again as the Doctor did something else to his knee.

“He got away,” the Doctor said flatly. “What was he after?”

“The TARDIS,” Jack said. He shuddered, and Rose was somehow sure that wasn’t to do with the pain, especially as the Doctor seemed to be about done fixing him up. “You should never have given me a key, Doctor. He almost got it. And you shouldn’t have come back for me. You knew I’d get away eventually, and if he’d got hold of …”

“Where’d you hide the key?” Rose interrupted. He’d had barely any clothing left on him when they’d found him.

The Doctor ran a different sort of scanner over him and grinned. “Oh, it’ll be back in another day or so.”

“Ew.” Rose pulled a face.

“Hey, it was better than letting him …” Jack shook his head. “Anyway, he’s gone. He won’t remember he ever met us in a little while, never mind his whole twisted plan.”

“What, you drugged him?” the Doctor demanded. “You just go around carrying memory-wiping drugs? After what they did to you?”

“Not anymore,” Jack replied through gritted teeth, “but he does.”

“Oh.” The Doctor nodded. “Well, tha’s all right then.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence.” Jack pushed himself up to sit, throwing his legs over the edge of the infirmary table. “Why’s it taking so long for everything to heal up?”

“Seems non-mortal wounds don’t react as quickly,” the Doctor said. “We still don’t entirely know how this works. Meanwhile, the TARDIS’ equipment will help.”

“You know what’d really help? A nice, long, hot bath.”

Rose noticed he didn’t say that with his usual leer. He must really still be hurting.

“Bath for one, coming right up,” she said and went to go see to it. Something was still bothering her about all this, but getting Jack back to himself had to come first.

~*~

“I know he needs to rest, Doctor,” Rose said hours later, “but can’t we just check on him?”

“The TARDIS would let us know if he needed anything,” the Doctor replied. His voice was reassuring, but there were lines of tension across his forehead as he said it. “But if would put your mind at ease …”

“It really, really would.” She didn’t want to wake him. Didn’t want anything but to see that he was all right.

When they slipped into the room he mostly used to store his clothes now rather than as an actual bedroom, he was asleep in the middle of the bed, curled into a tight knot of covers and shaking as if he were cold.

“Oh, Jack.” Rose forgot all about just looking in and not bothering him, kicked off her shoes, and climbed into the bed behind him, wrapping her arms around him tightly.

The Doctor mirrored her actions so they had their shivering lover between them. Rose met the Doctor’s eyes, wondering if they should try to wake Jack. The Doctor shook his head as if she’d asked aloud.

She wondered if he was dreaming. Dreaming about what that other Time Agent had done to him. Dreaming about whatever things Jack wasn’t saying that made him shudder.

“We’re here, Jack,” she whispered, hoping maybe her voice would make its way into his dreams. “We’ve got you, and you’re safe. It’s all right now.”

The Doctor didn’t say anything, but she could feel his grip tighten around Jack even as Jack finally started to relax, shaking less and less. Slowly, slowly he started to uncurl himself until he was lying between them as if this were any normal night and they were in the bed the three of them usually shared.

As her worry for him dissipated, Rose could feel her own exhaustion catching up with her as her eyes fought to close on her. Should they leave, though? He’d made it clear he wanted to rest up alone tonight, but then, he hadn’t really been resting at all until they’d arrived.

As she lay there debating, Jack raised one of his hands to join hers over his chest, twining their fingers together. Rose smiled against his shoulder and looked up at the Doctor, who nodded as if he knew exactly what had just transpired. Well, he probably did. Satisfied, she molded her knees to the back of Jack’s, hugging him as tightly as a key in a lock, and let herself sink towards sleep.


End file.
